Deep in the woods
by Bubba81
Summary: Deep in the woods lives Edward, an immortal. He has led a peaceful, albeit boring and lonely life for the past 400 years. But when an Italian beauty is entrusted into his care, will everything as Edward had known change?
1. Chapter 1

Deep in the woods on a small island off the coast of Italy, a young man lived. He had lived, for 400 years, and was still only 25 years old, physically. He lived in a stone cottage he built on his own, 300 years ago. Cursed, or blessed, by the 'eternal potion', as the alchemist that had granted, or condemned him to this life called it, Edward Cullen could never age, nor die. He lived a solitary life, unable to make friends with other normal humans as he could not reveal the fact that he couldn't age nor die. His only human contacts was with others that had also been given the eternal potion, but somehow, 16 other 'friends' for 400 years was simply not enough. He never had a female companion, a girlfriend or a wife. For many, many years, he had been a lonely man. Stuck in between the ages, Edward yearns for companion, and yet cannot fathom how to get that company, a 400 year old man with medieval tendencies and behaviours, stuck in the twenty-first century.

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><p>Edward Cullen was watering his flowers and plants when Aro arrived that cold autumn day, a beautiful young girl following behind him.<p>

"Edward!" Aro yelled, waving a wizened old hand, grinning toothily, looking slightly deranged.

Edward turned his head in the direction of Aro, and shook his head to himself. Aro was a crazy alchemist, a mad scientist in every way. Edward hated Aro with every fibre in his being, and yet was eternally grateful to him. Towards Aro, Edward constantly felt contradicting emotions, and it often left him unsettled. That was why Edward avoided Aro extensively. Without seeing him, there was no need to think of a matter of fact, Aro had sent a letter, inviting Edward to visit him in his Volterra castle in Tuscany from Edward's place over a week ago. But Edward had pointedly ignored the rather obtuse and confusing letter, hence Aro's surprise visit to Edward's place that day.

Edward crossed his field quickly, and bowed slightly to the old alchemist. "It is pleasant to meet you today, Aro. How fare thee?"He asked, politely, hiding his curiosity about the girl behind Aro. He could not see her face, or her body, only a sliver of dark, shining mahogany hair.

"Ah, I fare very well; I am particularly delighted today, Edward! I bring you Isabella Swan, my new creation! Creation 18, as a matter of fact. Befitting label, as she is but 18 years of age!" Aro announced, delightedly, making large gestures with his arms and hands as he spoke rapidly in his native tongue, Italian.

Edward stared at the old man, not knowing what to say. He knew that Aro liked to travel the world to 'create' people of his kind- the immortal. Edward was one of them, created by Aro too. He was dying in a sword fight against knight, when an arrow from an opposing spy shot through his heart, catching him unawares, bringing him down. Aro had saved him by giving him the potion of eternal life when he found the unconscious man lying on the forest floor later that day, and Edward became Creation 8. Aro had told Edward what he had became, and bequeathed Edward to Carlisle and Esme, creation 4 and 5 respectively, who wanted children but could not have them as the potion rendered women sterile. But Aro had not created any more immortals for the last 200 odd years, so what made him start now, again?

Edward was 25 when he was turned by Aro, and with Carlisle and Esme as parents, he eventually adapted to this life of eternity. There wasn't much difference between an eternal being and a mortal one, apart from the simple fact that eternal beings could not die, and did not age. Occasionally, Edward bemoaned his loneliness; Aro had tried to give him fellow female creations to no avail. The last creation Aro tried to give to Edward was somewhat of a disaster. Tanya Denali, Creation 14, was a strawberry blonde dame who enjoyed activities in bed greatly. She was a Russian beauty, and had literally tried to force Edward to join intimately with her upon seeing him. Edward was horrified, having been brought up by his roman catholic roots where man and woman remained chaste till marriage, and had pushed Tanya into the river in a fit of shock.

Finally, Edward spoke warily, afraid of another Tanya. "I see, very well for you, Aro. What consequences on me are there, though?"

Aro beamed. "But she is for you, my favourite creation! I give Isabella Swan to you! You have been a lonely man for more than 400 years; it is time for some female companionship. She can warm your house, your food at home, or your bed! It is for you to decide, my dear son."

Edward groaned in horror mentally. He felt like telling Aro and his new creation to get lost, but his politeness and the fear of provoking the volatile Aro prevented him from doing just that.

"Why, thank you, Aro. I can never accept such an... expensive gift from you!" He finally bit out.

"Ah, but you will! It is a gift to you and a favour for me, my dear. Sulpicia (Creation no. 1) and I will be going to visit Rome, and we need someone to take care of my newest creation as she is still young and confused. So I thought, ah, the lovely and good Edward will take good care of her! And I was right!" Aro said, happily.

Edward sighed, resigned. He could not say no to Aro, not when he was so happy. Making Aro angry was the last thing anyone wanted to do.

"Alright, then. Thank you so much, Aro. But the girl is shy, or afraid of me, it seems?" Edward asked, trying to peer over Aro's shoulders to see his new _present_.

Aro coaxed the girl in front of him with a strange tenderness, and beamed.

Edward's breath caught in his throat. The girl was... magnificent. She was thin and slender, with skin as pale and white as the moon, eyes as large and dark as black diamonds. Her nose was small and delicate, her facial features regal. Her lips were perfect. She looked as if she came from a painting. She was perfect.

The girl looked steadfastly at the ground, her whole self trembling. The thin sleeveless blue dress was not thick enough for the cold autumn breeze, and Edward knew that he had to bring her into his house before she caught ill. While they immortals couldn't die, they could fall ill just as a normal human being. Edward would know; just last month he had caught the flux from eating some bad fish.

"Alright, Aro, thank you very much. I must bring her into my house before she falls ill. Would you like to come in?" Edward asked.

Aro shook his head. "I am bound for Rome immediately with Sulpicia, my lovely wife. Tata!" He said, as he skipped off.

Edward sighed, and finally addressed the girl directly.

"You are Isabella, yes?" Edward asked.

The girl nodded, her large fearful eyes meeting his.

"I'm Edward, 25 years. Um, come in to my house, I would not want you to catch ill." Edward said, gesturing to the small two story stone building just a short walk ahead.

Bella was quaking in her sandals as she followed Edward up the path to his home. She was still in shock. It wasn't 72 hours ago that the family car had fallen off a cliff bringing her along with it when some nemesis of her father rammed a truck into the side of the Mercedes sedan. It wasn't 60 hours ago that Aro, the strange guy, had rescued her from the cold ocean and made her drink a strange disgusting concoction that sent her into a deep and restless sleep for 24 hours. It wasn't 20 hours ago, that Aro told her she was now immortal, unable to age, nor die. And it wasn't an hour ago that Aro had brought her over to this man's house and told her she was now his.

Bella was upset, confused, and she felt sick already. Her stomach felt unwell, like there was a giant tortoise doing somersaults in it. She didn't know what was expected of her as this man's present. And she felt lonelier than ever before. And everything here was so strange; almost ask if she had travelled back in time. Stone houses, horses, that wizened old man- it gave her a headache.

As she followed the tall man up to the house, she felt miserable and sad. Without her notice, tears began to fall from her eyes silently.

When they reached the front door of the stone cottage that Edward had crafted with his own two hands 400 years ago, Edward turned to speak to the young girl, and was shocked to find her crying.

"Isabella, my dear, why- why are you crying!" He exclaimed, horrified.

Isabella looked up at him in shock, and brought her fingers to her eyes. Sure enough, they were wet. Mistaking Edward's loud voice for anger, she bowed her head immediately and apologised.

"I'm sorry, signore, I didn't know I crying." She sniffed, and replied in broken English. Her native language was Italian, and she had little knowledge of the English language that this guy spoke. They were in some strange village off the coast of Italy- why did this guy even speak English?

Edward wanted to comfort the girl, badly. He saw the fear in her eyes, the fear of the unknown. He felt the same way when he woke up after being treated by Aro's eternal potion.

"Come here, Isabella. It is alright. Let's get into the house. Your dress is too thin to withstand this weather" He finally said, as he put his arms around the girl's thin shoulders, comforting her, drawing her into the house.

The touch of Edward made Bella's head spin, and she gasped. She felt safe, all of a sudden, with his large warm arms around her. It was foreign, being touched so... intimately. No one had touched her since she was a baby. Her mother was all for properness, which did not encompass hugging, or touching. Her father was simply not an affectionate man. No one had touched her like that before, and it felt strange.

Once in the house, Edward shut the door, and crossed the small front room to start the fire.

Bella acutely missed his touch.

"Take a seat, I'll start the fire and you can get warm." Edward said.

Bella sat gingerly on the edge of the pristine leather sofa as she surveyed her surroundings. The interior of the house was modern, whereas the outside was certainly ancient. The walls were white panels with light green French styled trimmings, reminding her of an aristocrat's room. The floor was polished marble, cool to the touch. Some ways away from the fireplace was a grand piano, and a cello. A spiral staircase was on the other side of the room, leading to the second story. Beside the main door was another door, leading to the kitchen.

Bella rubbed her hands together as she tried to get warm. But her teeth were still chattering, and she was still shivering.

Edward turned to her, and the sight of the slight Isabella shivering tore at his heart. He fished out an afghan throw from under the sofa, and wrapped it around her, hugging her as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms, trying to warm her up. What the hell was Aro thinking, bringing her to him in just this flimsy blue dress?

Bella felt warm almost immediately, once Edward had touched her. Unknowingly, she began to cry again, from the comfort of his touch.

Edward was alarmed to see her crying, again. Did he repulse her so?

"Little one, why are you crying again? Are you ill? Do you hurt somewhere?" Edward asked, as he held her away from him so he could look over her.

Bella shook her head, hiccupping. How was she to explain to this utter stranger that he had touched her more often, comforted her more often than her parents did in her entire lifetime in just 10 minutes? How was she to explain that she felt safer in this stranger's arms, than she did in her parent's armed and guarded mansion in Italy? She couldn't, and so she didn't, simply shaking her head, and trying to wipe her tears away as fast as they fell, while Edward held her and stroked her back gently.

When Bella's tears had finally subsided, Edward had simply said, "There, there. It'll be alright."Bella felt like telling him nothing would be alright, and that nothing ever was, but she simply looked away.


	2. Chapter 2

Edward led Bella upstairs to the larger bathroom to take a warm bath. Nothing that a good soak in the tub couldn't cure, he thought, as he started the water running. For some reason, Edward felt extremely protective of this girl Aro had entrusted in his care. She was his now, he thought, so he'd better take good care of her. Somewhere deep inside him though, he knew it was more than simply a responsibility towards another immortal human.

"This is the master bathroom, which you will use. I have a smaller bathroom downstairs, but it only has a shower, so use this one with the tub, yes?"Edward had told Bella. Bella had nodded, mutely, as she stood in the middle of the large bathroom, pointedly avoiding looking into the mirror. The bathroom was large. There was a gigantic tub in a corner, some glass shelves, a sink and a modern toilet, all in white and chrome. Bella stood nervously, as Edward fiddled with the hot and cold taps until the water in the tub was warm. She wondered why an utter stranger would do this for her. No one ever had, not even her mother.

"There. You take a bath now, and you'll feel better, alright? The soaps and shampoos are by the ledge, I don't have conditioner, we'll have to buy some. I'll leave you here now? Just shout if you need help, or anything. The towels are over there." Edward said, slowly, hoping like hell the girl understood him. She wasn't English, he could see that. But his Italian was horrible, (oh, the irony, when he'd owned this place off the coast of Italy for 400 years.)And she seemed to understand a little English.

Bella nodded her head. Edward smiled, and left the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar so he would be able to hear her if she cried out for help. He was confused as to why she couldn't seem to stop crying, but since she did not seem injured, he took it as homesickness. Little did he know Bella was feeling more at home here than she ever did.

It was slightly under half an hour when Edward heard Bella calling out. "Um, excuse, sir? I, um... bisogno di alcuni vestiti? Clothes?"

Edward smacked himself on his head for not thinking of that.

"Of course, wait a moment." He shouted. He dived into his scarce closet, and pulled out some female clothes. The clothes would be a little short on Bella, but they seemed to fit. Edward handed the clothes through the crack of the door, trying to ignore the temptation to peek in and see Bella's wet body. "Here, it's my sister's clothes from when she came over in the summer, but I think they might fit you."

Bella took the clothes gratefully. "Grazie, signore." She said, quietly.

When she emerged, Edward nearly had a stroke. All the blood had left his head, and travelled down south. Bella was in a camisole top and black slacks. The camisole left little to the imagination, and Edward liked what he saw... very much. Too much for his own good, he thought. Bella's hair was still damp, straight and long down her back. She shivered from the cold, the camisole doing little to keep her warm.

Edward finally brought his eyes back up to meet hers, and was pleased to note that she wasn't crying anymore. Clearing his throat, he said, "Hold on, I'll get you something warmer to put over." ,as he dived into his closet again, this time pulling out a midnight blue silk robe of his. He helped Bella into it, and tied the knot securely at the waist. "There, you still cold?" he asked, drawing his eyes over her body. He felt something primal in him stir, seeing the girl dressed in his robe, which hung straight down to the floor.

Bella shook her head, and bowed slightly. "Grazie, signore." She said again. "Thank you."

Edward took her blue dress and undergarments from her, and showed her the washing machine and dryer. "You know how to work this?" He asked, tentatively.

"Ye-yes, sir. Si, signore. Somewhat. But different brand. " Bella replied, shyly, embarrassed at having the stranger hold her dress and undergarments.

"Good, I'll show you this time, the next time you can do it." Edward said, and he showed Bella how to work his Japanese branded washing machine, which was different from Bella's European branded washing machine. He stifled his urge to take a closer look at her undergarments as he stuffed the clothing into the washing machine and started it.

"Grazie, signore." Bella said again, demurely.

"It's no matter, Isabella. Come, you hungry? I'll teach you to cook. To use my kitchen, I mean. Then you can do something around here." Edward said.

Edward led Bella downstairs to the kitchen. As modern as the rest of the house was, the kitchen certainly wasn't. A butter churner sat in the corner with a wheat miller. The stove looked modern and high tech though, although the oven certainly wasn't. A square table sat in the middle of it all, a bright yellow tablecloth draped over it.

"I'm stuck in my ways, 400 years ago. When it involves cooking, at least. I enjoyed cooking very much, see. Did you cook much?" Edward asked.

Bella shook her head. Was heating up instant noodles considered cooking?

"No problem, I can teach you. So, we'll have to grind some flour today to make bread for the week. Just like that." Edward said, as he demonstrated how to use the wheat miller. Bella tried to wrap her head around it, but she still felt very confused. So when Edward told her, "You try it." she was frightened. What if she did it wrong and he hit her?

She tentatively grasped the edge of the miller, and moved it in a circular direction as Edward had shown her. It was heavier than she thought, though.

"Very good, excellent! Just like that, Isabella." Edward encouraged, standing off to one side as he observed Bella's progress.

Those few words of encouragement made Bella's chest tighten. Her parents had never said such nice things to her, ever. And this entire stranger was. Why, this stranger was turning her world upside down, it seemed.

Edward finally pulled himself away from looking at Bella working the miller. He'd stayed there longer than strictly necessary to ensure she could use the appliance. To be extra safe, he thought. Because he simply liked watching the girl, he knew.

They settled into a comfortable routine for the next hour. Bella grinded the flour while Edward gutted fishes for dinner. When there was enough flour, Bella chopped vegetables while Edward boiled the potatoes. They worked around each other like clockwork. Like the moon revolving around the earth. Never clashing.

In the evening, they sat around the table to eat dinner. Edward ladled potatoes and carrots and green vegetables and fish onto Bella's plate and his, and served it with a glass of apple cider he had made himself.

Bella was touched that this stranger bothered to cook for her; her mother never did. Neither did her father.

"So you are 18 this year, yes? Finished high school?" Edward asked, in between forkfuls of potatoes, trying to get the beauty sitting opposite from him to open up to him.

"Si, finished being homeschooled last year. Was going to go university this year." Bella said softly.

She would have liked to be able to go to college, anywhere. But she didn't know if it was still possible, with all the mess hanging over her head. And that thought made her sad again, so she forced herself to eat more of the fish and not think so much.

"It's alright, little one. You can still go to university in the future. You can go many times, after people have forgotten you. I've been at college 4 times already; you'll have many chances to go. Don't be sad, Isabella. Alright?" Edward asked gently, sensing that Bella was upset. He wanted to make her happy, for reasons he couldn't understand.

Bella nodded, her eyes staring up at him in wonder. Go to college many times? She certainly didn't have the money to do so.

Edward saw the questions in her eyes, and smiled at her. "Eat first, you're too thin. We'll talk more about it later, yes?"

Bella nodded, and smiled shyly up at Edward. Edward swore that his heart skipped a beat when she smiled at him, though he would never tell anyone that for a long time.

After dinner, Edward and Bella washed the dishes together. Bella felt extremely happy from her meal- it was one of the best ones so far in her entire life. Most of her meals were instant noodles. If she was lucky, some canned food or microwave TV dinners. Nothing home cooked, certainly.

The strangeness of it all, she used to think. It wasn't as if her parents didn't have the money to buy fresh food. They simply couldn't be bothered to, and they never wanted to allow Isabella out of the house. So she was always cooped up in there, with no fresh food to eat. This simple meal she had helped cooked was the freshest and tastiest meal she had in like, forever. And she would be eternally grateful to Edward for it. Before the accident, Bella had a wish list of things she would have liked to have done after she turned 18 and was granted her independence from her parents. On the top of the list was 'have a meal of fresh food'. Unknowingly, Edward had helped her achieve that wish.

Edward led Bella up to his room after they had washed the dishes. He rummaged around his drawers until he came up with an extra new toothbrush for Bella. "Here, you can brush your teeth. Perhaps I'll meet you in my library, down the hall from my bedroom later. Then we'll talk, yes?" Bella nodded, uncertain of how they'd sleep, but not wanting to ask and come across as being rude, seeing how nice Edward had been to her.

When Bella had done her nightly routine and emerged from the bathroom clean, she wandered down the hall to find the library. Along the walls of the hall were many beautiful abstract paintings in vibrant tones and earthly hues. Yet, despite the vibrant colours, the painting seemed to project an almost desperately lonely feeling. Bella could empathize with the painting, and she peered closer to make out the name of the artist. She would like to befriend the artist, she thought. He or she seemed to understand what Bella felt. Like she had everything, and yet, nothing. To Bella's disappointment the artist had a messy scrawl for a signature, almost as if he or she was trying to hide his identity, and Bella couldn't make it out. Why would such a talented artist hide his identity? Bella couldn't fathom why, as she stared at the yellow and orange painting one last time before making her way into the library.

Edward was stretching his arms, waiting impatiently for the computer to boot up when Bella walked in to the room. A soft gasp from Bella made him turn his body to acknowledge her presence. Bella was staring wide-eyed at his chiselled chest. Why, she thought, he looked exactly like the paintings of Greek gods in the book she used to have! Like Hercules and Zeus, all broad shoulders, muscular arms and perfectly defined six packs!

Edward hid a smirk behind his hands when he noticed Bella gaping at his torso like a deer caught in the headlights. He felt inordinately proud to have that effect on Bella, despite his normal annoyance when other members of the female population stared at his good looks.

"Hey, you're here. Come in, and let's talk, shall we?" Edward finally said, breaking the silence, which caused Bella to blush at being caught ogling his body.

God, that blush, Edward thought, as he shifted his legs uncomfortably, pulling out a chair for Bella to sit.

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><p>AN: Merry christmas!

In replies to the reviews, I update every Saturday and Wednesdays. If I write fast enough, probably Friday too:)

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

"So, can I ask, what is your full name, Isabella?" Edward asked, after he had decided that the conversation had to start somewhere if he was to protect her properly. The one thing that they immortals had to beware of was letting others know their secret, and Edward now had to take every precaution to hide Bella's identity.

"Isabella Marie Alberto." Isabella replied softly.

"Alberto!" Edward repeated, shock lacing his voice. "Are you related to Charles and Renee Alberto, by any chance?" Edward asked.

Bella nodded desolately. "Si, they my parents." _Unfortunately._

"Oh, my goodness!" Edward said, staring at Bella. No wonder he had found her features so regal at first- she was practically royalty if she was Charles and Renee's daughter! They were one of the richest families in Italy, with direct descendents from the Count Carlos Alberto. But Edward was perplexed. How come there was no news of them having a daughter, at all? He had followed the Italian news fairly closely, and he was very sure there was absolutely no news of them having any children in recent years.

Bella read the confused look on Edward's face correctly. "My parents didn't want people to know they had a child. They didn't want their first child to be a girl, so they hide me." She said, sadly._ Oh, why couldn't I have been born a boy? Why did I even have to come into this world?_

"Oh, my goodness!" Edward exclaimed again. It seemed extreme and cruel to hide a child from society simply because the child wasn't a male heir, but extremely likely of the cold Alberto couple, from what he read in the papers. Edward felt rage and anger towards Bella's parents for treating her so cruelly. He looked up to meet Bella's eyes, but found couldn't find them.

Bella had hung her head low, ashamed at herself. Why couldn't she ever be enough for her parents? It wasn't as if she really did anything wrong. She was just a dislikeable person, her mother had told her. Ugly and stupid. She'd never make it in life, and no one would like her, her father had said. And now, now that Edward knew that she was such a horrible person that her parents could not bear to show her in public, he would also hate her. Bella couldn't stand such a thought, and she started to cry softly.

Edward saw that the girl was upset. He realised that thinking of her horrible parents could have brought back bad memories for Bella, and his heart strained at the thought of a younger Bella crying, desperate for her parent's affection. "Oh, ma Cherie, darling, come here." He said, as he pulled Bella into his arms, wanting to comfort her.

Bella was shocked that Edward would hug her even after finding out who she was. If her parents couldn't like her, how could anybody else? Apparently, Edward could. A voice in the back of her head told her that Edward was merely being sympathetic, he did not really like her, and that she should not set herself up for more heartache when she finds out later that he didn't really like her. But Edward's touch gave her so much comfort and warmth that Bella couldn't resist, and she sank against his chest, breathing in his scent of wood and cinnamon that she liked so much, burying her head in his shoulders as she sobbed.

Edward held her, and rubbed her back soothingly, trying to get Bella to stop crying. He could not stand the thought of the lovely girl crying, for some reason. And god knew he was completely indifferent to other girls crying. The last time Tanya had came crying to him, complaining that the world was such a cruel place after a break up, he had merely stared at her and told her, 'sucks to be us, doesn't it?'. This time though, he held Bella tightly, wanting to comfort her.

He shifted Bella in his lap, so she would be more comfortable as he made soft hushing sounds, humming a soft lullaby his mother had sung to him as a child. When Edward realised Bella had stopped sobbing, he found her breathing deep and even. Peering down at her, he realised that the younger girl had fallen asleep in his arms! Edward smiled at her peaceful expression, though her face still had tear stains on them. How youthful and untouched by the world she looked, he thought, as he carried her to the bedroom.

That was when Edward realised they had a problem. Before his meddlesome sister had come to visit for the summer, he had a guestroom and his bedroom. But Alice had renovated the guestroom into his library and study, and so now Edward only had 1 bedroom, with one bed. Sighing, Edward lowered Bella onto one side of the bed, and pulled the covers over her. As long as they kept their clothes on, and slept on opposite ends of the bed, there should be no problems, right? Edward sighed, and climbed into bed on the opposite side, promptly falling asleep.

The next morning, Isabella woke up, feeling something heavy draped across her. Groggily, she tried to lift a hand to rub at her eyes, but found it confined under something heavy. Bella's eyes snap open in panic at being restrained, only to find a large, muscular arm hugging her. A whimper escaped Bella, as she tries to make sense of the situation, but the constraints around her merely tightened.

When Edward woke up, he was hugging something, or someone that smelled like strawberries and freesias. Edward didn't want to let go of the huggable object he was holding on to in his arms tightly, but he finally opened his eyes and groaned. To his shock and horror, Edward found himself cuddling Bella! The nice-smelling object he was holding on to was his charge to take care of. Oh, the scandal that would arise if his parents found them in such a position 400 years ago, Edward thought, as he extricated himself from Bella gently, trying not to wake her.

Too late.

"Signore?" Bella asked, when the arms around her had removed themselves, and she could turn around to find the owner of the constraining arms.

Edward blushed furiously, turning red. "I'm so, so sorry, Isabella. Believe me, I did not mean to ... to... grab you like that in my sleep. I am really so sorry for ... for... compromising your virtue in such a manner, Isabella. Believe me that I didn't do anything, though." Edward finally mumbled, embarrassed.

Compromising her virtue? A giggle escaped Bella. It was so cute, to see a fully grown man blushing about hugging a girl in his sleep. Bella found his medieval mindset rather amusing, and told him so.

"It's alright, signore. It's modern now, you can relax_. fatto nulla di male_, signore. No harm done, no?" Bella said, as another giggle escaped her, though she had pressed her lips tightly together to prevent herself from laughing at Edward's mortification.

Edward looked at Bella bashfully. "Sorry, I'm just... really old fashioned, I guess. I'm still sorry about grabbing you in your sleep, though. I'll be sure to grab a pillow next time."

Bella wasn't sure if she'd rather Edward hold a pillow, or her. Somehow, she'd kind of enjoyed being held so tightly by him, like she was precious to him. Of course, that was wishful thinking, she snorted to herself. How could she ever be precious to anyone? Even her own parents couldn't stand her.

"Its okay, Signore." Bella simply replied, as she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up, trying to hide the tension in her body that arose whenever she thought of her parents.

Edward had made the bed and straightened the room by the time Bella emerged, poking her head through the door, holding the towel to her glistening wet body. "Sorry, signore. I... clothes?" Bella asked.

Edward cleared his throat, and hoped his sleep pants were thick enough to hide his burgeoning erection, as he found Bella's clean blue dress and her undergarments in the washer, and passed it to her, unable to meet her eye fully.

When Bella emerged, dressed in that thin blue dress again, Edward handed her another thinner dress robe, made of fine silk. "This will keep you warmer.", he said, as he went into the bathroom to wash himself, and to take care of the erection that had by then sprung into a large thick snake.

Later that morning after breakfast, Edward decided to teach Bella how to milk the cows and feed the horses- simple chores which she could help with. Edward was rather pleased at having a new companion around his house- it certainly made time to gather more food for the winter, and to mend the many clothes he had with holes in them. He would also have to take Bella's measurements to make new robes and warmer dresses for her, she could not live an eternity in his dress robes. There was a supermarket near the shore if he'd just bothered to row his boat from his Island to the mainland, but Edward was too stuck in his medieval ways to bother about it.

"So, you just pull here, gently, and the milk will come out, into the bucket. Easy, Isabella." Edward had said, tugging lightly on his cow's udder like he was tugging on strings on a marionette. Bella squatted down beside Edward, a look of rapture on her face. So this was how milk came about.

"I see, signore." She said, quietly. "But, the cow no kick me? It no pain for it?"

"No, it provides relief for the cow, Isabella. It won't kick you if you do it properly. You want to try?"

"Uh, no thank you, signore. I try tomorrow?"

Edward chuckled. "No problem. Now, feeding the horses."

Feeding the horses was something that came naturally enough to Bella. Despite her small stature, she was good with horses. Edward watched Bella lead the horses out into the field to graze, and smiled softly at her. He flushed at the positions he had imagined her in when he took care of his problem, but quickly shook it out of his mind. Now was not the time to think of things like that, he had to teach her his ways, and then call back to his family to help create a new identity for Bella later.

By midday, Edward had taught Bella how to keep his garden too. They had reaped the ripe carrots and vegetables from the garden, and had canned some if it for the winter.

"Why not just buy food from mainland?" Bella had asked Edward.

"Not fresh. Not good." was Edward's simple response.

They had a fresh salad for lunch with garlic bread made from the dough Bella had grinded the day before, and Bella felt a sense of pride at having helped create a meal from scratch. When Bella had watched the garlic bread toast in Edward's stone oven with a smile on her face, Edward had touched Bella lightly on the shoulder and said, "Feels good to do things this way, doesn't it?" Bella had nodded, looking up at him like he had helped her gain enlightenment. She was happier here doing these mundane tasks than she ever had been in her grand mansion back on the mainland.

"Isabella? Would you be alright alone here, while I go out to hunt and fish?" Edward asked, tentatively, after they had put the dishes away from lunch.

The thought that Edward might abandon her here in this unknown territory caused Bella to seize up in fear for a moment, before she realised that it was almost impossible for him to do so, since this was his home. Still, the fear of abandonment was there, and Bella could not rid the fear and panic that gripped at her chest. If Edward did not return, if anything untoward happened to him while he was out on his hunt, Bella would be left alone, in this foreign Island. More than anything, Bella did not want to feel lonely again, something that she had not felt since she met Edward. Yet, Bella understood that it was important that Edward went to fish and hunt, for their survival, especially with winter approaching, and his dislike to buy food from the supermarket. So, Bella put up a brave front and nodded.

"Si, I okay, signore." Bella had said, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice.

"My brave girl." Edward had sighed, as he kissed the crown of Bella's head tenderly, hugging her quickly. "I loath to leave you here alone, but I fear for your safety on a hunt. I'll be back quickly, before nightfall. Perhaps you could prepare dinner later?" Edward asked.

"Si, dinner. _tenere al sicuro_, signore. Be safe." Bella replied.

"_Tornerò_." Edward said, before he grabbed his riffle and knives, and left.

Bella blinked the tears that rose up in her eyes as she watched Edward walk out the door. _Tornerò. I'll be back. _He'd better be back, she thought. _I don't want to live an eternity alone._

With Edward out of the way, Bella decided to begin cleaning the house. She found a rag and a bucket in the first floor bathroom, and scrubbed the marble flooring of the house. She did the laundry, sending a prayer up before pressing the start button, worried that she might _kill _the machine accidentally. She polished the windows, to keep her mind busy even after every surface of the house looked perfectly clean.

When all that was done, Bella looked at the clock and saw that it was about 5pm already. Why hadn't Edward returned? Was he mauled by a lion out there, or something?

Bella's brows creased with worry, as she began cooking dinner. There was some unidentifiable meat in the freezer, and the vegetables from the earlier picking. She boiled the potatoes and vegetables, and soaked the meat in some sauce she found in the fridge before roasting it in the oven.

Bella sat at the dining table, staring into the oven as she watched the meat roast, and waiting for Edward to return. It was strange, how she worried so for his safety, even after meeting him so recently. She had never worried that her parents might not return home, she thought, ironically. But then again, in Milan, her parents never ran the risk of being mauled by bears or lions.

By 7pm, the meat had cooked. Bella twisted her hands, blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay. _Where the __**hell **__was he? _She thought, as she found a lantern and lit it, walking outside barefooted. As she paced the cold stone flooring of the porch, Bella shivered violently. Her thin dress and robe was no match for the harsh night air, and her feet were turning numb from the cold. Yet, Bella did not register all of these things, so caught up in her worries for Edward.

Just as Bella was about convinced that he had been mauled by some unknown animal and was lying in the forest, bleeding and writhing, and was making preperations to go out and find him, she was startled by a loud voice.

"Isabella! What are you doing outside, darling?" Edward called loudly.

Bella turned, and saw Edward walking towards her, a large deer slung over his back, a basket full of fish in one hand, with a lantern in the other.

She cried out in relieve, and ran towards him. _He did come back, after all.  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>AN:_

_ If any of you are wondering, _Tornerò means I'll be back, in Italian. __

__Bella's Italian, so she doesn't speak very good english (well, neither do I), but that's the reason for the rather lacking grammer in her dialogues. __

__Cheers:)__


	4. Chapter 4

Edward dropped the basket of fishes, and used that hand to hold Bella close to him. "Little One, what's wrong?" He asked, rubbing her back gently as Bella sobbed against his chest.

"I... you... you came back, _infine_! Why so long, signore?" Bella asked softly, her voice heavy with emotions.

"Oh, Isabella, I'm so sorry to make you worry, my dear. I wanted to catch more fishes than usual so I would not need to go fishing tomorrow, so we could settle some of the things you need. Darling, I'm so sorry to make you worry." Edward said, touched to the core that the young girl would worry for him, and feeling reproachful that he had been the cause of her tears once more.

"Si, sorry, signore." Bella said, embarrassed at her tears once she had regained her senses.

"Oh, it's nothing to be sorry about, Isabella. I'm sorry, for making you worried. I should've known better than to leave you here alone, in a place which you're unfamiliar with for such a long time. Come, let's get in to the house first, alright? Your fingers are very cold." Edward said.

Bella nodded against his chest, before turning and picking up the basket full of fishes, walking with Edward back into the house. Edward kept an arm slung over Bella's shoulders. _To keep her warm, he thought. I just want to keep her close, he knew. _

Back in the house, Edward left his dead deer in the cold freezer room in the stables, and his fishes in the large ice box, before joining Bella for dinner.

"This is sumptuous, Isabella!" Edward exclaimed, upon tasting the roasted meat.

"No, signore, just use food in your fridge." Bella said, shyly, blushing lightly at the compliment. No one had ever complimented her before, except for him. She was finding out that she kind of liked it very much.

"Well, it is delicious! You're a fantastic cook, Little One."

Bella smiled shyly, as she dipped her head to continue eating her dinner. They ate in together in a comfortable quietness, neither needing to fill the silence with unnecessary words. Later, Bella rose to clean the dishes, but Edward stopped her. "I'll clean them, Isabella. You go and rest. Take a soak in the tub, or something. You've done lots of work around the house, darling. Take a rest, okay?"

Bella stared at him. Rest? What rest? But she did not want to appear an idiot in front of this guy who had been so nice to her, so she nodded. "I take a bath?" she said, only that it came out as a question.

"Yes, you take a bath. Go ahead." Edward smiled softly. _Gosh, so beautiful, inside and out, he thought. _

As Bella let the warm water cascade down her dark hair and back, she finally gave in to the itch at the back of her throat and started coughing. Her throat hurt, her chest hurt, her head hurt, and she was constantly feeling cold. Bella stifled a moan as she washed herself, hoping like hell that she wasn't falling ill. She did not want to cause Edward any more trouble than she already had at this point. Her parents always scolded her and beat her whenever she fell ill as a child. The last time she had stomach flu, her parents had locked her in her room with a bag full of Panadol instead of bringing her to the doctor. What if Edward found her too much of a bother and decided to throw her away? Bella closed her eyes, and prayed silently. _"God, please don't let me fall ill now. I don't want to be alone anymore."_

Later that night, Edward had brought out bolts of fabric from the storeroom into the study. Bella had looked on, confused. Was he really going to sew the clothes from scratch like this?

"Signore, you sew clothes from these?" Bella asked, tentatively softly so as to not irritate her sore throat.

"Yes Isabella. It's going to be winter soon, and you need warmer dresses and robes. I'm not very good at sewing women's clothing, but I'm sure I can figure something out. Do you know how to sew?" Edward asked, unwinding a long measuring tape.

"No, sorry, signore." Bella stuttered. Why would he bother to sew her clothes? She could not understand why anyone would bother to care for her. From a young age, Bella had been taught that she had to fend for herself if she was to survive. Find her own food, her own clothes. But here was a guy, who was willing to make her clothes, cook for her, and provide a shelter over her head. Bella could not understand why or how it worked.

"No matter. I was thinking of calling my sister to ask her to send some patterns over anyway. My sister is very good at dressmaking." Edward said, happily. "Here, let me take your measurements." He said, as he wound the tape around Bella's waist, arms, and bust.

Edward busied himself with the measurements, trying to avoid thoughts of his hands on Bella's body. Waist- 9 inches, bust- 12.6 inches, height- 67.5 inches. _Don't think about her perfect hourglass figure. Don't think about how perfectly she'd fit against you. Concentrate, Edward Cullen!_

Bella flushed, as Edward wound his hands and tapes around her body. Every touch of his skin against hers sends her heart racing in a way it had never before. Every brush of his skin against hers made her hair stand on ends, and a deep longing for more. _More what_? Bella couldn't understand what this foreign feeling was. Was it because of Edward, or because she might be falling ill?

"There! I'll call Alice or Rosalie tomorrow, and they'll send me the patterns soon. Meanwhile, we can work on sewing your robes. I'm quite sure robes are the same, regardless of whether you're a man or woman, no?" Edward asked.

Bella smiled, but kept quiet. What was she supposed to say- sir, we don't wear robes anymore, its 2011, Edward! No, that would not do. He was so kind and good to her, it wouldn't do to hurt his feelings. Besides, she was happy to have clothes to wear, regardless of the type of clothing. "Thank you, signore." She finally said, grateful for all the troubles Edward had gone through to help her survive with the new _affliction_- an eternity on earth.

Edward smiled, and held up two bolts of fabric. "Dark blue or red?" He asked.

That night, after they had both washed up, Edward and Bella lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Thank you for everything, signore." Bella finally whispered, in the dark, stifling the urge to cough, trying to ignore the pain in her chest and the chills that were wracking her thin body at this point.

Edward turned to face her, propping his head up with his hand. "Oh, Isabella, there's no need to thank me. Believe me; I am very happy to have you with me here. Life can get lonely living so long alone, you know?"

Bella smiled as she turned to face him too. "Si, I know." She replied quietly. _More than you ever would, she thought. _

"I guess you would know, if your parents kept you away from society for your entire life." Edward mused.

"Si, yes. I live with my parents, but it felt... lonely. _Vuoto. Noioso_." Bella replied.

"Vuoto?"

"Si. _Vuoto_. Empty. Though my house had much furniture."

Edward smiled. He could understand that feeling very well. "Yes, empty. I used to wonder what was the use of having so much money and time and things, if I wasn't happy."

"Si."

"But now I'm happy, these few days. Because I have a companion, at last." _Because I have you, _Edward added silently in his head, as he reached out to touch Bella's hand lightly.

Bella smiled. She liked the feeling of Edward's warm hand on hers. His hand was large and callused from the years of hard work. But she liked it, very much. It was comforting, and he was the only person to touch her in such a long time, that she had thought she'd forgotten what human touches were like before she met him.

Bella was very happy that her presence made Edward happy, for some reason. Like she was _wanted_ here. Something she never was in her house in Milan. She couldn't imagine why would Edward want her around, but she supposed someone was better than no one. And Bella realised that she was happier here, than she ever was at home. More contented, more at peace. Less fearful and sad.

"Si, _stesso qui_. _Anch'io_. Me too."She replied quietly, smiling, forgetting about the pains all over her body as she closed her eyes and succumbed to sleep. She did not see the wide grin that broke out on Edward's face that night.

In the middle of the night, Edward woke up to the sound of Bella's muffled coughing. He reached over in alarm, to find that Bella's skin was deathly cold.

"Isabella!" Edward exclaimed, as he jolted awake and switched on the lights in alarm, gathering Bella with his free arm.

Bella was feeling cold and weak and tired, but even through the haze, she was worried about Edward throwing her out. "I'm okay, signore. Very fine, no worry." She said, hoarsely, muffling another coughing bout with her pillow.

Edward stared at Bella in alarm. She obviously was not alright. Her temperature had dropped to alarming depths, and she was shivering violently. Obviously she had caught something when she had went out to wait for him, Edward thought, upset at himself for being the cause of the poor girl's illness.

"Oh, Little One, you're obviously not alright! Where does it hurt?" Edward asked, as he pulled Bella to a sitting position, propping her up against himself.

"I'm alright, signore. J..just cold." Bella said.

"Oh, gosh." Edward mumbled to himself, as he rubbed his hands up and down Bella's arms to warm her up as best as he could. He then wrapped her up in some blankets, and laid her back down.

"Wait here, darling." He said, getting up to find something warm for Bella to drink. She had probably caught some hypothermia or a flu of some sort waiting for him outside in the harsh night air, he thought.

Bella, though, through the haze that clouded her brain, thought that Edward was going to throw her out for being ill when she saw him getting up. "No, Signore, I am not ill! Please, don't throw me away! Signore, I help you cook and clean very well! Please, signore!" She cried.

"What? Isabella, I'm not going to throw you out! What made you think that?" Edward asked, shocked.

Bella merely scrambled to get up and off the bed to show Edward that she was fine and healthy, but she was too dizzy to stand up straight. The world seemed to be hanging upside down, for some reason, and Bella was hit by a bout of nausea so strong that she gagged.

Edward immediately carried Bella to the toilet, in time for Bella to lose her dinner in the toilet bowl. Holding her hair away from her face, Edward sighed. Obviously Bella had some abandonment issues, which was not surprising considering how awful her parents were to her. Edward felt upset for the poor girl, and guilty that he was probably the cause of her sickness.

Edward squeezed toothpaste onto Bella's toothbrush and handed it to her, silently. Bella took it from him and brushed her teeth quietly, tears streaming down her face. _Was he going to get rid of her? Did he hate her now?_

"I'm sorry, signore. Really. I'm not sick. I won't fall ill anymore." Bella tried, one last time.

Edward sighed, and gathered the girl into his arms. "Oh, my darling, it's not your fault, you don't have to apologise to me. I'm not going to throw you away, my dear, not when you're the best thing that's happened to me in like, forever. Come now, you're obviously ill. I'm going to lay you down on the bed and go downstairs to fetch something to help you get better, alright? I'm not going to abandon you, Isabella."

Bella stared up at Edward. Did he mean all that he said? How was it possible?

"Yes, I mean what I just said. Come, now." Edward said, as he carried Bella to the bed, before going downstairs to get her some of the special herbal tea Esme had given him. It was a potent tonic that cured most minor illnesses, as Edward had found. He hoped it would work for Bella too.

Edward sat on the edge of the bed, and watched as Bella took the bitter tonic and drank it all.

"Good girl. Come now, go to sleep. It'll be alright in the morning, okay?"

Bella merely nodded, as she drifted off to a deep slumber filled with reassuring words from a large burly prince with copper hair.

The next morning, Bella awoke, feeling much better. Her throat did not hurt, her muscles did not ache quite as much as the night before, and she wasn't freezing anymore. She blinked, and turned her head to find that she was lying on Edward's chiselled chest. She gasped quietly. Edward snored softly, his hands holding Bella immobile against him protectively.

Bella looked up at Edward's face, and realised that he must have stayed up most of the night taking care of her. Bella was deeply touched that Edward would bother doing that for her, and realised in that instant that not everyone was like her parents._ There were bad people, like Renee and Charles, but there were also the saints that the bible wrote of, like Edward Cullen._

* * *

><p>AN: The story's a little slow in starting off, but it'll speed up with more action and the rest of the family will come in soon. Bella needs to realise that Edward isn't going to abandon her at the drop of a hat first:)

To all that's reading, have a happy New Year 2012:)

Cheers=D


	5. Chapter 5

"Alice?" Edward said into the phone receiver. He was making the call to Alice and Rose, to get their help for some supplies and Bella's clothes patterns, sitting on his large sofa. Bella sat next to him, looking at him fearfully. What if his sisters thought badly of her? Would that make Edward hate her? Bella could not stand that thought, and she fiddled with the hem of her robe. Edward reached out a hand to still Bella's fidgeting.

"Relax." He whispered. Bella stilled.

"EDWARD! Oh, my lord. You've finally called! In like, 400 years, you are finally calling me! Goodness, a miracle has happened. Dear God in Heaven, thank you for showing me that you exist by causing a miracle to happen!" Alice squealed.

"Stop being so dramatic, sister. Is it so hard to believe that I can use a phone?" Edward asked, laughing.

"No, the fact that you can use a phone isn't hard to believe. It is that you're calling me. Initiating human contact! WOW. So, why did you call? I know this can't be simply a social call." Alice said.

"Hey, I resent that. I do initiate human contact with you guys. Didn't you just come over for the summer?"

"Yes, but I self invited myself there. You would never have extended an invitation to me!"

"Humph." Edward grunted.

"I need your help, Alice. Aro has... entrusted me, no, _given_ me, a new creation of his to take care of. A girl, 18 years old. I need you to send some dress patterns for her, because I am no good at sewing dresses, obviously. And some undergarments. And perhaps some hair conditioner would be good; she has very nice long hair." Edward said.

Bella blushed when Edward said that, looking away to hide her embarrassment. Nice long hair? Bella thought they were simply brown and plain. It was nice of Edward to say that, though.

"Nice long hair huh, brother?" Alice teased.

"Hey, I'm serious. I'll pay you for your help. Please, Alice? I'll call Rose if you won't help. I can sew her cloak and robes quite fine, but I think dresses would be a challenge for me." Edward said.

"Why don't you just go out and buy coats and clothes for her?" Alice asked, bewildered by her strange brother. Alice was all for embracing modern conveniences and fashion. She could never understand why her brother still dressed in robes and breeches and cloaks when trousers and shirts had to be easier to obtain and put on.

"The quality of coats nowadays is not... not fine enough." Edward replied stiffly.

"Chill. I'll help you. I'll get the dresses and dress patterns for her myself and send them over with the conditioner, bra and panties. Just message me her sizes. You still have your cell phone, right? Is she pretty? Why did Aro change her? He hasn't changed anyone in like, 200 years, has he?" Alice asked, as she began flipping through designer magazines that lined her table.

"Yes, she is. Aro said he found her unconscious and bleeding after her family car fell over the edge of a cliff. She was hurt badly, so he changed her. I still don't know what made him start again after so long, but Aro's... Aro." Edward replied.

Alice let out a whistle. "The poor girl! Edward, you better take good care of her, you hear me? Losing your family, and being turned into one of us all in a matter of hours. Why, it's a wonder she's still functioning from all that shock!"

"Yes, I am taking care of her as well as I could, Alice."

"Good to hear. She'll be good company for you, at any rate. Tell you what; I'll personally make a trip over to deliver the goods soon, that'll save time. Perhaps tomorrow or the weekend. Your place is just a boat ride away from civilisation." Alice said.

"Yes, that would be nice. Thank you so much, Alice. Can I speak to Jasper for a moment?"

"Ah, you need to create a new identity for her, I forgot. Hold on a minute. JASPER DARLING! EDWARD'S ON THE LINE!" Alice shrieked.

Edward held the receiver away from his ears to prevent the screaming from turning him deaf.

"My sister's very excitable." He explained to Bella. Bella smiled and nodded. It must be nice to have family members, she thought.

"Hey, bro. New identity kit?" Jasper asked in his deep southern drawl. Originally from Texas, Jasper was changed when he was mauled by a bull during a bullfight.

"Yes, female, age 18. Real name's Isabella Marie Alberto." Edward said.

"Alberto? As in, from Count Alberto's line?" Jasper asked, surprised.

"Yeah, you got that right."Edward said, drily.

"Strange, never heard that Renee and Charles had a kid!" Jasper exclaimed, intrigued by this new information.

"Right, they hid the poor girl from society. They wanted a male child, you see."

"She's with you now, I take it? And her new name?" Jasper asked.

"Isabella ...Cullen, I guess." Edward said. His heart skipped a beat when he thought of Isabella taking his name.

Jasper sniggered. "Your new wife? Is she even legal, Edward?"

"She's 18, Jasper. Yes, that's legal." Edward retorted.

"Alright. I'll send you the new identity cards and passports soon, with Alice, I suppose. Ciao, Bro!" Jasper said.

"Bye, take care. And thanks for everything, Jasper." Edward said, sincerely. He would not know what to do without their help.

"Isabella, darling, don't look so worried!" Edward chuckled, once he'd put the receiver down and looked at Bella's face.

"Si, sorry, signore." Bella replied, still anxious. Did they think well of her? Were they upset that her new or fake, whichever way you saw it, last name was Edward's?

"Hey, there's nothing to be worried about, Little One. My sister is very happy about you. And don't call me signore, you can call me Edward, you know." Edward chuckled.

"Si, sig- Si, Edward." Bella replied, softly.

Edward smiled, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head as he got up. "I'm going to salt the venison form the deer and tan the hide. Do you feel well enough to come and see the stables?" Edward asked. He was still worried that Bella was not feeling well, though Bella had convinced him that she was feeling as good as new many times since he woke up with her lying across his chest.

"Si, Sig- Si, Edward. I go see you salt venison." Bella said, standing up too.

"Alright, let's go." Edward smiled, as he made his way to the stables, draping an extra cloak around Bella just to make sure that she remained warm. He wasn't taking any chances with her health anymore. As he'd found out, she was very, very _precious_ to him. Any thoughts of her being injured or unwell in any way sent him into a panic.

"See, I just need to carve out the choice meats to eat and salt, throw away the innards, and skin the hide for tanning. It's not that hard." Edward smiled at Bella, as he began work with his knives.

Bella fought from gagging at the sight of the bloody venison, sitting on a stack of upturned crates. "I see, I guess. It looks... difficult."

"It's just a matter of getting used to it. I've been doing this my whole life." Edward smiled fondly.

"What did you do last time? No, what have you done so far?" Bella asked.

Edward chuckled. Hearing Bella fumble with the English language was something he found very endearing. "I was a knight before I was changed. Those who fought for the king. I could hunt, but certainly not cook or wash or sew my own clothes; I had servants to do all that for me. I supposed I lived a privileged life as a knight. Then when I was dying after a run in with the enemy's spies, Aro changed me."

Bella listened enraptured to a time of life before hers. "Aro is... a scientist?"

"Aro is an alchemist. Contrary to modern believes, alchemists did exist then. He was a mad alchemist, an created a potion that allowed one to live forever. I don't know exactly how it works, but well, that's how he creates us immortal beings." Edward replied.

"Oh I see. _questo è come_ ... _da favola_! If I not... _diventano incapaci di__morire__, io non __credo_!" Bella exclaimed.

Edward smiled. It was cute how Bella reverted to speaking Italian whenever she was flustered or excited. "Yes, it would seem like a fairytale. But there are downsides to this life also; we cannot get too close to other normal humans, in case they find out our secret. Sometimes, it can get lonely too."

Bella ducked her head. "I am less lonely in this life than before. And I cannot imagine anything worse than living with my parents alone." She said, softly.

Edward looked up at Bella, and cupped her cheek with his clean hand. "Oh, _agapi̱té mou,_I will never let you be lonely, ever again."

Bella smiled shyly as she blushed, and Edward dropped his hands, turning his back to Bella to work on the deer while discreetly adjusting his pants.

"Then after he changed you what happened?" Bella asked.

"He gave me to two of his companions who longed for children but could not have any, Esme and Carlisle. They're my parents, in every sense of the word. Esme was a Russian beauty, a descendent of a Russian Boylar. Carlisle was a medieval doctor. When Aro brought Esme back from a trip to Russia, Carlisle fell in love with her and took her under his wings. Then when Aro changed me, the both of them adopted me. Esme was good at farming and growing a garden, and she taught me how to live off the land. Carlisle was good at well, being a doctor. In fact, we lived on this very Island." Edward said.

"Si? Same house as this?" Bella asked, curious and intrigued.

"No, a different house, further north, nearer to the coast. It's still there, in fact. They now live in America, where Carlisle is a surgeon at a hospital." He replied, stretching the hide of the deer over a large pit, having sliced out all the choice meats of the deer.

"So we can work? I thought we must stay away from... others." Bella asked, curious.

"We must keep distance and move often, but other than that we can live with them. Alice and Jasper lives in Rome, where Alice is a designer at a small boutique. My other pair of siblings, Rose and Emmett live in the US too. They're both car mechanics. As long as we stay out of the spotlight, we can immerse in society, actually." Edward said, salting a large mound of venision with vigor.

Bella made a noise in the back of her throat as she pondered that new piece of infomation. She would like to go out and see the world, having been cooped in her parents house for so long, but she didn't want to trouble Edward. _Anyway, she thought, let me explore this Island first. It's away from home, at least. _

It was two whole days before Bella's dream came through.

"Would you like to spend the rest of the afternoon out? I was thinking of bringing you to look at other parts of this Island." Edward asked, having finished all the chores for the day.

Bella looked up at him eagerly, the excitement shining clearly through her large brown eyes. "Really? We can? No more work today? No need to pluck more vegetables, Edward?" Bella asked.

Edward smiled at her innocence sadly. _So pure and untainted. Such a pity her parents were such evil creatures, exposing this innocent girl to the bad of the world so early in her life._

"Yes, Bella. No more vegetables to pick, no more wheat to harvest. Come on, put on your new cloak, I'll bring you around for a bit. Some fresh air would be good for us, I think." Edward said. He knew that Bella was eager to go outside to look around, and he was equally eager to grant her this little wish.

"Really, Edward? No trouble for you?" Bella asked once more, making sure that it would not inconvenience Edward. The last thing she wanted to do was to be more trouble than she was worth and get thrown out by Edward. Despite all he had done for her, Bella still harboured fright over such a thing. Her parents was always calling her a nuisance, and saying how they wished she'd never been born, or how they'd wish they could have gotten rid of her. All the years of such scoldings and sneerings had made Bella suspicious and frightened of being abandoned or thrown out.

"Really, Little One, no problem at all. It'll be fun, for me also." Edward replied, smiling gently.

Bella rewarded him with a mega-watt grin that made his heart melt.

"Oh, my goodness. This view is amazing, Edward!" Bella said, leaning forward to take a better look. Seated on a large black horse of Edward's named Masa, and on a cliff that overlooked the entire gulf, Bella could see the horizon. The view was even better than what was depicted in her books, she thought.

Edward grinned. "I know. I'll bring you to my home in Switzerland some day, Isabella. We can see glaciers and snowy mountains there, it looks beautiful too."

Bella smiled shyly at him. "I don't want to be a trouble."She said, looking down. Oh, how much she'd want to go and see the world, though.

"It won't be. We'll wait awhile, maybe a couple of years, then when everything regarding your parents death have died down, we'll go and see Switzerland. Belgium and Netherlands too. We'll go on a tour around Europe. How does that sound?" Edward asked. Somehow, Edward just wanted to do all he could to make Bella happy. It didn't matter if it cost him a bomb; after all, he had 400 years worth of savings in gold, diamonds, platinum bars and various other precious gems, not to mention cash. The amount of money Edward owned alone could bring Greece out of its humongous debt, probably.

Bella grinned. "Sound good."

"And what is this flower?" Bella asked, curiously.

"It's atropa Belladonna. It's toxic, baby. Don't touch that plant, alright? It can cause hallucinations and can affect your brain's function." Edward said.

Bella nodded, as she absorbed that piece of information. She was curious about everything, and Edward was only too happy to have someone to teach his century's worth of herbal and floral knowledge to.

That night, there was a thunderstorm. At the first crack of thunder, Bella jumped a foot in the air from the bed and stifled a shriek. Edward, who was used to thunderstorms simply snorted, still deep in sleep. Bella glanced at Edward in the dark, and saw that he was still fast asleep.

_Be brave, Bella. Obviously there's no danger since he's still fast asleep like a bear in hibernation._

Bella sank back under the covers, as she tried to go back to sleep. _No danger, no danger, no danger._

_Just thunder, not guns. SLEEP, Bella._

Her mental encouragements were for naught though. The next thunder crack sent her shrieking out loud, as memories flooded her.

_She was 12, and a guy with blonde hair was waving a gun about in their living room. Bella was hiding upstairs, looking down through the peephole in her bedroom's door. The guy was shouting. "Charles! I don't CARE what you do; give me back the diamond set. You know it's mine. What kind of bloody fucker are you? I'll kill you and your wife for it, someday. It's fucking MINE!" As the guy shouted, thunders rolled in the background as the storm around them brewed on._

"_Our father gave it to me, James. Stop making a ruckus in my house. I am the rightful owner of it as the elder son." Charles replied, calmly, though the shaking of his hands as he clutched his own gun tucked into the waistband of his slacks betrayed his calm exterior. _

"_But you have no child, do you, Charles? You fail to meet the prerequisite for owning the damn diamonds. I have a son. So it should be mine. Not yours." James replied, yelling._

"_I am still older than you." Charles stated, stubbornly. _

_. _

_In a fit of rage, James pulled the trigger, sending the glass chandelier shattering into a million shards just as a thunder cracked loudly, just like Bella's heart did every time she heard her parents publicly deny her presence. Bella stifled a scream, running to her bathroom, locking the door behind her as she cried in the tub. _

Edward jolted awake upon hearing Bella's shriek. Bella was cowering against the headboard, her hands pressed tightly against her ears.

"Oh, baby. Don't be afraid, it's just thunder. Come here." Edward grunted, as he pulled Bella's quaking form against his chest and tucked the blankets tightly around the both of them.

"Sleep, Bella. I'm here, I'll keep you safe." Edward whispered.

Bella breathed in Edward's scent, and eventually was lulled asleep by the steady rhythmic thumping of Edward's heartbeat.

The next morning, they were rudely awakened by a loud knocking on the door.

"Edward! Open the door for me! It's your sister, ALICE!" Alice shouted, at the top of her lungs.

Edward rolled out of bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he peered at the alarm clock. "Blimey! It's only 6am! Who the hell's awake at this ungodly time?" He grumbled. Bella stared at Edward nervously, all the sleep gone from her eyes. "It's just my sister. Go back to sleep, Bella. I'll go down and let her in." Edward said, as he put on his robe and lumbered downstairs.

Edward's POV

"Alice. It's 6am. What are you doing here, my dear sister?" I asked, as I embraced my sister in a hug with one arm, while shaking my brother's hand with the other. "Jasper, nice to see you, but couldn't you reign in your wife's enthusiasm until a much socially acceptable time?"

Jasper smirked. "You know her, Edward. And I do everything to keep her happy. A happy Alice makes for a very happy Jasper." He said, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

I shook my head, laughing. "Come in, then. Take a seat, and let me go brush my teeth so I don't smell so much."

When we went into the house, I was surprised to see Isabella fully dressed in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. Alice squealed.

"Oh, you must be Isabella! Oh, darling, you are ab-so-lute-ly gorgeous! Oh, my god! Edward is sooo lucky to have you as a companion! My my!"

Isabella gaped at Alice. "_Ah, si, sono Isabella. Sei Alice, si_?" Isabella asked nervously, reverting to her native language in her nervous state. It was just so cute that she'd forget how to speak English when she was nervous.

Alice laughed. "Oh, you're Italian. No wonder your name is Isabella! I'm Alice, indeed. This is my husband and companion, eh... _mio marito_, Jasper."

Jasper grinned. "Howdy, how ya doin'?"

Isabella's eyes widened almost comically, confused. "Ah, pardon me?" She said, not understanding a word than Jasper said.

"He asked, how are you." I whispered softly to her, smiling.

"Ah, si, good. I am good.I hope you are good too, signore." Isabella replied, wringing the edge of her robe in distress.

Jasper's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Yes, my dear, I am quite sure I'm a good person."

Jasper and Alice proved that they were good people to Bella when they brought in the packages they had brought.

"Here, dresses and pants and shorts and shirts and bra and panties for Bella." Alice said, as she nudged a gigantic carton trunk. 'Here, clothes for Edward. Those two cartons contain some bathroom necessities for the both of you, and other knick knacks I thought you guys would find useful." She said.

Isabella smiled quietly. "Thank you Alice, grazie, very much."

Alice beamed. "it's no matter. It's not like I'm paying for it anyway, Edward is. So thank him, if you want."

Isabella looked at me in alarm.

"Relax, darling. I have a lot of money, this is nothing." I said, reassuringly.

"But, signore- Edward, farming is slow money. I must repay you somehow!" she said, urgently.

"Don't cha worry ya pretty little head over it, Isabella. This miser Edward has enough to bring Greece out of its debt, and then some. I reckon ya companionship's enough payment for him. He's a lonely miser, ain't cha, Edward?" Jasper asked, lazily.

"Hey, I'm not a miser. I just never really had anything to spend on. And Isabella, I earn my money from my investments all over the world, not by farming. Farming is for our food, not for our money. Like Jasper said, your companionship is enough for me." I said, touching her back lightly.

Bella smiled at me gratefully. "I be in your debt, signore, forever. I'll spend eternity with you to repay all you've done for me if that's what you want."

I smiled back, gently. Oh, she'd never guess that that's exactly what I'd want. An eternity with her.


	6. Chapter 6

That afternoon, Edward was grinding the flour, contemplating his situation. Or rather, the feelings he had for Isabella. He was quite certain that he was in love with her. He could not bear the thought of her hurt, or the idea of her being sad. He was protective of her, and wanted to give her the world. And everything she did seemed to make him horny. Just yesterday, she had been sucking on a ripe strawberry happily after dinner, and Edward's cock had sprung to life in his loose cotton trousers. The day before, she was wearing one of the dresses that Alice had sent for her. The dress was not low cut by any means, but it clung to her figure well, and Edward's cock had taken notice of it, causing him to beat a rather hasty retreat to the bathroom lest Bella noticed his predicament.

Edward wasn't sure if Bella felt the same way towards him, but he dearly wanted to woo her. With gifts, flowers- the way he was taught growing up as a teenage boy. But he knew they were in the 21st century- and just how did one woo a girl in modern times? It was in this quandary that Edward was contemplating when Bella burst into the room, breathless and panting.

"Edward! Signore, there are people on the island!" Bella said, panic evident in her voice.

Edward stopped grinding his flour immediately.

"Isabella, darling, you mean there are outsiders on this island? What do they look like? Calm down, darling." Edward said, as he handed Bella a glass of water.

Bella shook her head urgently."It is outsiders. My... my father's brother, James. Not one of your family. I heard them when I was picking herbs. They are near, signore, what should we do?" Bella whispered, obviously distraught.

Edward frowned. "But this island is a private one. Those people are obviously trespassing. And your uncle, you say? Does he recognize you, you think?"

Bella shook her head. "No, he does not know I exist, I think. But what should we do?"

Edward looked perplex. "Then I will simply go out and tell him that he is trespassing on private property. There is no difficulty, then."

Bella looked horrified at Edward's suggestion. "Oh, but you will be a ...a spectacular, they call it. In your robes, living in a medieval stone mansion, grinding your own floor... signore, the newspapers, the paparazzi will attack you!" Bella cried.

Edward's face soon took on the similar look of horror that Bella wore at that. "A spectacle, you mean. Oh, dear, that would certainly not be good. Ach, after 400 years no one has bothered coming onto this island, why now?" Edward groaned.

Bella shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. "Signore? Maybe you can wear a normal clothes and go look for them quickly before they come here, and tell them to uh, get lost?"

"Oh, brilliant! Yes, that is what I'll do! So, a shirt and pants, yes?" Edward asked, as he hurried about to shed his robes, stripping in front of Bella in his hurry. Bella blushed, as turned her back to him to rummage about the boxes of clothes that they had not put away yet. Handing Edward a pair of faded jeans and a tight fitting shirt that Alice had bought him, Bella had to bit her tongue to keep herself from ogling Edward's perfect body.

"Okay. I'll go out and find them. Darling, you sit tight here, hear me?" Edward said, as he slung a riffle across his shoulders.

"No, signore! Please, let me go with you. I think I can speak their language better than you." Bella pleaded, anxiously.

"Oh, baby. What if they hurt you?" Edward groaned. One part of him knew that he should bring her along in case they couldn't understand him; the other wanted her to stay at home and be safe.

"Signore! Edward, please. I don't want to stay alone here. What if you don't return?" Bella whispered.

So this was what it was about, Edward thought. The poor girl was afraid Edward would abandon her.

"Oh, Isabella. I will never abandon you. No matter what I do, I'll always return to you, baby. Alright then, let's go find them together." Edward said, as he fished out a key from his necklace, and used it to open a locked drawer. Pulling out a gun, he handed it to Bella.

"It's loaded. Keep it in your pocket. The safety's on, so don't worry about shooting yourself. Hopefully we won't have to use it." Edward said.

Bella's hand trembled as she took the gun and put it in the inner pocket of her new coat that Alice had sent her, and placing her other hand in Edward's, they made their way out to find the trespassers.

They walked out of the little close where Edward's home was, and locked the gate behind them securely. As they approached the edge of the forest, they could hear voices coming from within.

"James, where are we going?" A high pitched voice rang out. Edward winced in annoyance.

"It's called sightseeing, Victoria. This Island is on prime land, I'd bet there's minerals beneath this soil. It's a pity it's marked as private." The male voice responded.

"We'll be rich if we find the gems and minerals?" The high pitched shrill voice rang out again. Edward frowned at the greed in her voice, and held Bella closer.

"That's the idea, babe. Since my lousy shit brother died without writing a will, everything has gone to the State, and we don't get a single cent off him, we've got to find a way to make easy money now." James said.

"But isn't this island private property?" The shrill voice rang out again.

"Who cares. We just need to make sure we get the gems before they realise we're on their land." James replied.

Edward was confused. He had lived here for 400 years, there was certainly no gems and minerals on this Island. The soil was fertile, and there were various rare plants and herbs, but that was about all that was valuable here, to his knowledge. Edward was also very annoyed at this pair of people who didn't give a shit that they were trespassing on his property.

As they approached the trees that Edward was standing behind, he decided to spring them a surprise.

"Victoria, babe, hold my bag for me. I've got to take a leak." James said, and they heard the distinct sound of a zipper lowering.

Edward held his finger to his mouth, signalling to Bella to be quiet and stay put behind the trees, and he sprung forth from the trees just as James had prepared to relieve himself.

"What the hell are you doing on my land?" Edward bellowed, standing right behind James.

James was shocked, and let out a rather unmanly shout of surprise. With his privates still hanging out, James struggled to pull his jeans back on.

"I'm so-sorry, sir, I didn't know this was your island." James stuttered, as he tried to regain his dignity, buckling his belt.

"Does that give you the right to go trespassing on people's PRIVATE Island? Does it matter whether it's my land or somebody else's? How dare you pee in my forest! I have half a mind to shoot your little half inch penis just for being a sight for sore eyes!" Edward shouted loudly, swinging his rifle about for emphasis.

James was scared shitless, and was close to pissing himself. He was a ruthless cheat, but this man he was facing was clearly larger and fitter than him, and owned firearms where he didn't. The man also looked like he didn't mind using the firearms on James.

"Sorry, sir, didn't know it was private property." James said nervously. Victoria was standing rooted to the spot, frightened at this large man's wrath.

"Well, now you do! Get right off my land, or I'll shoot you and feed you to the piranhas and sharks that line my coast!" Edward shouted.

"Oh, yes, we're on it immediately, sir." James said nervously. "Come, Victoria, let's get a move on."

"Move it, you piece of shit! I'll personally escort the both of you off my land!" Edward said, as he jammed his rifle into James' back, and his stick against Victoria's, pushing them forward harshly.

Bella stood off to the corner, keeping out of sight. There was clearly a wet patch on the front of James' pants where he had lost control of his bladder in fright of Edward. Bella felt like cheering for Edward. How brave of him! She almost found his wrath sexy. At the same time, Bella was worried. It was her uncle, alright, and she was confused. Hr uncle had almost as much money as her father did, what was he going on about?

Keeping herself hidden, Bella managed to follow them to the coast, where she hid behind the boulders quietly.

"There, get your ass on your boat and away from my island!" Edward said, as he gave the both of them a rough push that sent them sprawling onto their boat. Cutting the rope that James had used to anchor his boat to the dock with a small knife, Edward shouted, "And don't ever come back, or I'll have the authorities on you! I have camera surveillance on my land, you idiot!"

James gunned the engine on his boat ferociously, driving it as far away from the savage on the island as fast as possible. He was more frightened of that fierce bulky man than anything in his life.

Edward shook his head, and waited till he could no longer see their boat before turning back to the forest.

"Isabella?" He called.

Bella scrambled to meet Edward. "Si, here." She said.

Edward grinned. "There, that'll keep those pesky ass off my land. But now I've got to install surveillance in case they come back again. What an annoying greedy frog." Edward said, as he slung his arms over Bella's shoulders.

Bella laughed softly. "But I thought my uncle had as much money as my father. Why is he looking of more?" She asked.

"How would I know? All I know is that he isn't going to find his gems and minerals on my island. I've been here for almost half a millennium, and no pirate's been on my land to bury their loot." Edward said.

Bella smiled up at Edward. She liked the way Edward's arms felt around her shoulders very much. She felt safe, protected, cherished. "Maybe he is mistaken, then." She said, softly.

Edward nodded. "Probably. And thank you, my brilliant darling, for helping me get rid of them. You are so intelligent." Edward praised.

Bella blushed and looked away. "I did nothing, Edward. I only told you to change your clothes."

"No, no, you did everything. If you did not notice that there were people out there, we would be paparazzi food by now. Or if you did not tell me to change my clothes, I'd be a spectacle by now. You are intelligent and beautiful, Isabella. Why do you deny it so?" Edward asked tenderly, as he ran his thumb across Bella's cheeks.

Bella shook her head. "I am nothing, Edward. Don't praise me like that. I am not that good." She mumbled.

Edward sighed. "Isabella. You may have been treated like nothing by your parents, but you are everything to me. I want you, forever. I want to praise you every day of the years, I want to show you how smart and beautiful you are. Darling, don't ever say that you are nothing, alright? You are my everything. I...I am in love with you, Isabella. I want to be yours forever, if you'd have me, that is. Will you be mine?" Edward asked, stuttering a little. There, he'd said it all. Weeks of pent up feelings were now out in the open.

In love with her? Bella stared at him, wide eyed. How could anyone love her? Bella was confused, and yet, somewhere in her, she knew that she loved him too.

"Wh-why would you love me?" Bella asked, gaping.

Edward sighed. "You're beautiful, good, kind, smart, what's there not to love? When will you see that you're worth it?"

Tears sprang forth to Bella's eyes. She was touched beyond words that this man would say such kind things about her.

"Signore- Edward, I'm not worth your time or love, but... but signore, I want to be yours. i... I like you very much, too." Bella bit out. _I love you_, she thought, but was too afraid to say so.

Edward beamed.

* * *

><p>AN: So sorry for the late update! A dying computer does not facilitate typing nor uploading documents, haha.


	7. Chapter 7

Tilting his head forward, Edward whispered hoarsely, his heart beating a gazillion times an hour. "Can I kiss you, Isabella?"

Bella looked up at Edward, at his strong chiselled jaw, his intense green eyes, thick eyebrows, moist lips. Tilting her head upwards, she closed her eyes and let herself fall. In love.

When her lips met Edwards, it was fireworks and magic and butterflies all at once.

His lips caressed hers softly, gently. His tongue licked along her lower lip, begging for entrance. Bella parted her lips, and her tongue began a slow erotic dance with Edward's that made her all tingly down there.

When they finally broke apart for air, Bella collapsed against Edward's chest, panting slightly.

Edward smiled against the crown of her head.

"Amazing, Bella. Exquisite." He said, softly, holding her to him. When he felt her lips curl up into a smile against his chest, his heart pounded so hard he thought it might escape from his ribcage.

"I never thought it could feel like this." Bella mused, as they walked hand in hand back to their cottage.

"Me neither. I.. that... was my first kiss, darling. I'm glad I waited for you." Edward confessed, shyly.

Bella turned to him, surprised.

"But... you're..doesn't mind. it my first kiss too, Edward." Bella blushed.

"But I'm what? Old?" Edward teased.

Bella giggled.

"I'm actually only 25 physically, baby."Edward laughed.

"Well, I'm 18." Bella said, softly.

Edward smiled, at the hidden implication behind that simple number, as his heart raced. 18. Legal.

Later that day after dinner, Edward brought Bella to this study and pulled out a laptop from a drawer. "You want to read the news online?" He asked.

Bella grinned at him. "Si, I want. You know how to use the computer?"

"No, but that's why you're here." Edward admitted, bashfully.

Bella giggled again. "Si, I can teach you this." She said, as she showed Edward how to operate the laptop with ease and confidence. Edward though, was a horrible student. As much as Bella was trying to teach him to use the laptop, Edward as consistently distracted by the uncharacteristic confidence that Bella exuded when teaching him about the computer. The way she was sure of herself at this little thing made Edward find her all the sexier, which wasn't helping his quest to keep it in his pants until they officiated their relationship with a marriage certificate. The smell of her hair, the way she'd accidentally brush against him with her elbow as she typed on the laptop... Edward was completely disorientated and unable to learn the workings of his laptop properly, much to Bella's chargrin.

"Signore! Edward, are you listening?" Bella asked.

"What? Um, sorry babe, no." Edward said, grinning into her hair.

"Why not?" Bella asked, frowning. "Am I teaching too fast?" she asked.

Edward shook his head. Lowering his lips to her ear, he whispered huskily, "You're distracting me, baby." Bella blushed, and lowered her eyes, as Edward claimed her lips once more, the laptop forgotten.

That night, they lay side by side in the dark, holding hands.

"Tell me about yourself." Edward said, as he stared up at the ceiling, unable to believe how lucky he was.

"Um, there's nothing plenty to tell, Edward. I lived in Milan my whole life, in a large bungalow. I spent my time reading, drawing, surfing the net... things that didn't make noise. My parents liked it when I was quiet and out of their way." Bella said.

"You can make as much noise as you'd like here, baby." Edward whispered. "So you never went out of the house?"

"Yes, never. Whatever I needed, I wrote a list and my parents got it for me when they went out. They bought me books and stuff to keep me occupied too, so I supposed they were not that evil." Bella said simply.

Edward shook his head. "I'll bring you out all the time, since no one knows who you are."

"It's alright. But I'm worried that my uncle- James, he may caused trouble here. He's a... bad man. I remember him threatening to shoot my father because my father did not want to hand over my grandfather's inheritance." She whispered, worriedly.

"I'll call Jasper and get him to install some security. Worse off if James comes after us, we can leave. Go to America. South East Asia. Somewhere James can't find us. He can dig for all the treasures for all i care, as long as you're safe, that's all that matters." Edward said, as he pulled Bella into his arms that night and fell asleep with his nose in her hair.

Little did he know, it would be sooner than either expected that James decided to go after them.

The next day, Edward found that his chores took longer to complete than usual. He'd sneak a kiss in between milking the cows and feeding the horses while Bella raked the hay in the morning, then a fondle in the garden when he couldn't resist Bella bent over at the waist yanking carrots out of the soil near noon. Everything Bella did made him hard and horny, and Edward was finding it harder and harder to stick by his catholic principles and remain celibate till marriage.

Finally, finally, Edward was done with the chores for the day. He went into the cool of his stone cottage, and found Bella cooking lunch. The sight of his girl stirring a pot of vegetable stew was too much for him, and Edward groaned as he buried his head in Bella's hair, holding her to him tightly.

"You don't know how delectable you look like that, Bella." He said, lowly.

Bella blushed, angling her head to kiss Edward's jaw. "Me, delectable? I think you mean the vegetable stew, signore." She joked, giggling.

Edward shook his head. "No, no, it's you I want to devour." He growled, capturing her lips with his. Bella responded fervently to his efforts, and soon they were lost in a battle of tongues and lips, and wondering hands. In the midst of their fevered make out session, Edward slipped his hands around Bella to turn off the stove, grazing her bra-clad breast ever so lightly.

Bella gasped at the unfamiliar sensation that shot through her body at that simple contact, straight down _down there._ Edward froze.

"I'm sorry, Bella." He responded, chagrined, resting his head against hers.

Bella blushed. "Don't be sorry. I liked it." She responded in a low husky voice, that made Edward's pants impossibly tight.

Edward groaned again. "You tempt me, baby. Let's have some of that stew you cook before I eat you instead."

After lunch, Edward looked out the windows as he washed the bowls.

"It's a fine day, Bella. Would you like to go fishing?" He asked.

"Fishing?" Bella asked,curiously.

"Yes. Catching fishes. We could go out to the river just behind the house."

Bella grinned, and in that instant Edward's heart clenched, for she looked so innocent, like a little girl.

"I want!" She said, laughing, pulling on Edward's hand.

Edward laughed and picked her up easily. "Let's go then, Little One."

They sat by the river, side by side, as Edward taught Bella how to cast a rod.

"It's easy, darling. Just hook the worm, then cast the line. Like this." Edward said, as he cast a perfect line into the river, and stuck the end of his rod between two rocks to hold it in place.

Bella stared at the pot of worms Edward had brought, and with a determined gaze, picked one up between her fingers.

"Yes, baby, just poke the hook through." Edward coached.

Bella blinked. "Doesn't it hurt the worm?" She asked, looking up at Edward.

Edward bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing.

"The worm's going to be eaten by the fish, Bella. I don't think it matters very much." Edward said, trying his best to keep a straight face.

Bella frowned. "I feel so sorry for it. Can't you catch a fish without the worm?"

Edward smiled at her innocence._ So untainted. _

"I'm afraid not, baby. Here, I'll hook the worm up for you. There, just cast the line over your shoulder, and bring it forward." Edward said.

Bella did as he said, and the watched as the line swept forward, and landed in the water with a smooth movement.

"I did it!" Bella squealed, tugging at Edward's arm.

Edward laughed happily, and pulled Bella to sit on his lap as he waited for a fish to bite the bait.

Together, they sat watching the blue sky and green grass.

Suddenly, there was a giant tug on Bella's rod, as the line started straining.

Bella shrieked in surprise. "What is this!" She exclaimed.

"Reel it in! Like this!" Edward said, as he started reeling the fish on Bella's rod in, tugging with all his might.

However, a sudden tug by the giant fish on the other end propelled both Edward and Bella into the river. With a loud splash, both Edward and Bella found themselves standing knee deep in the clear blue water, soaked to the core, with a very large tuna fish trapped between their bodies.

"Oh god. Bella, are you alright? Are you hurt, anywhere?" Edward asked frantically, as he pulled Bella close to him.

Bella laughed, a full out belly laugh. "I'm fine. That was the most fun I had in... forever!" Bella giggled, holding on to Edward's arm for support.

"You found falling into a river fun?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow, once he was convinced that she wasn't hurt.

Bella giggled again, nodding her head. Just as Edward was about to say something, they were interrupted by an intense wiggling between their bodies.

"Oh! What is this!" Bella shrieked, staring at the large tuna fish trapped between their hips.

"Gotcha!" Edward exclaimed, as he plucked the tuna fish out of the water and dumped it unceremoniously into a bucket that held the other caught fishes.

Bella was still laughing and spluttering. Turning to her, Edward grinned widely and embraced her.

"That, babe, was what made us fall into the river." He said.

"We did it! We caught the fish!" Bella exclaimed, pulling seaweed out of Edward's hair as her hands tangled into the nape of his neck.

Edward laughed, a vibration against her neck that made her shiver most delightedly.

"You're shivering, Bella. Are you cold? We should get out of the water." Edward said, holding Bella at arms length to look at her. What he saw instead made his mouth water and his pants tent.

Bella's white top had turned translucent against the water, revealing her black strappy bra underneath. Looking down at herself, Bella gasped and blushed, and tried to cover up by putting an arm over her chest.

Edward smirked. "Baby, that doesn't help much. And there's nothing that I would not like to see, or that I will not see in the future, god willing."

Bella blushed deeply, and remained sputtering once again, as Edward pulled her along with a strong arm, and picked up the bucket of fish with the other.

"You cold?" Edward asked insistently.

"I'm not, not really anyway. I wasn't shivering because of the cold." Bella admitted honestly. Being sheltered all her lives, Bella had a very different idea of what most people considered private.

"Your touches just make me shiver, in a nice way." She continued matter of factly.

Edward grinned happily at hearing her admission. He loved it that Bella was honest and didn't hide anything from him. It also made his ego grow.

"You think you'd be up to cook the tuna for dinner?" Edward asked, as they walked towards their cottage, his arms over her shoulders.

Bella grinned. "You gutting the fish?"

Edward smiled. "You baking it?"

Life was perfect for Edward, in that moment.

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry, sorry for the delay!

It was chinese new year which I celebrate because my mother's side of the family is chinese even though my dad's Russian, then there was a whole load of drama with my lousy ass computer. ARGH. Anyway, it's up, at last, after sitting in my computer for almost 3 weeks!

I will try to update quicker, probably short 2000 odd worded chapters every other day, god willing:)


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